Hurricane Melissa Death Toll Rises To 33 Across the Caribbean

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. Oct. 30, 2025: The death toll from Hurricane Melissa has climbed to 33, as the record-breaking storm continues to devastate parts of the Caribbean after tearing through Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, and The Bahamas earlier this week.

An aerial view seen October 29, 2025 shows the destroyed Black River Market and surrounding buildings following the passage the previous day of Hurricane Melissa in Black River, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

Now downgraded from a Category 5 to a Category 1 hurricane, Melissa gained speed today as it swept across The Bahamas and is expected to make landfall in Bermuda later in the day.

In Jamaica, authorities have confirmed nine deaths, including five in the southern parish of St. Elizabeth, which was among the hardest hit. In Haiti, at least 23 people, including 10 children, were reported dead following widespread flooding after days of relentless rain, even though the country escaped a direct hit. One fatality was also reported in the Dominican Republic.

Melissa – the strongest storm to strike Jamaica in modern history – made landfall Tuesday, October 28th, with sustained winds of 185 mph, surpassing Hurricane Katrina’s peak intensity in 2005. The storm left widespread destruction across southern Jamaica, including St. Elizabeth, St. James, and St. Ann’s, flattening and flooding, homes, downing power lines, and washing out roads.

After leaving Jamaica, Melissa weakened to a Category 3 storm as it struck Santiago de Cuba, the island’s second-largest city. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed the hurricane caused “considerable damage,” though casualty figures have not yet been released.

In The Bahamas, nearly 1,500 residents were evacuated from vulnerable areas in one of the nation’s largest emergency operations on record. While flooding disrupted several communities, the Ministry of Tourism said most major destinations — including Nassau, Freeport, Eleuthera, and the Abacos — remain open and largely unaffected.

As of this morning, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported Melissa moving north-northeast at 21 mph (33 km/h) with maximum sustained winds near 105 mph, classifying it as a Category 2 hurricane. The NHC said the storm’s center is expected to pass northwest of Bermuda later today or early tomorrow.

Many across the Caribbean Diaspora are pitching in to help as Jamaican officials urge direct support HERE

Authorities across the region are warning residents to remain vigilant as the full scale of Melissa’s destruction continues to emerge. See some of the destruction from Jamaica and Cuba below.

An aerial view shows destroyed buildings following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, in Black River, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica on October 29, 2025. (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

Flooded homes are seen after the passage of Hurricane Melissa in Howard Acres neighborhood in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica on October 29, 2025. Hurricane Melissa ripped up trees and knocked out power after making landfall in Jamaica on October 28, 2025 as one of the most powerful hurricanes on record, inundating the island nation with rains that threaten flash floods and landslides. Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

An aerial view dated October 29, 2025 shows a flooded Wilton Community following the passage the previous day of Hurricane Melissa, in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica.) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

A building is seen damaged following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, in Black River, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica on October 29, 2025. (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

Debris is seen littering the side of a road following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, in Black River, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica on October 29, 2025. (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

A building is seen damaged following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, in Black River, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica on October 29, 2025. (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

Buildings are seen damaged following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, in Black River, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica on October 29, 2025. (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

A woman clears debris October 29, 2025 near a damaged building following the passage the previous day of Hurricane Melissa, in Black River, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

The Anglican church St. Boniface is seen heavily damaged following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, in Pondside, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica on October 29, 2025. (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

An aerial view shows destroyed buildings October 29, 2025 following the passage the previous day of Hurricane Melissa, in Black River, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

A man walks with a shovel in hand over rubble on Main Street in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica on October 29, 2025. (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

A family from the town of El Cobre, in the province of Santiago de Cuba, remain in their destroyed house after the passage of Hurricane Melissa, on October 29, 2025. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images)

A resident of the town of El Cobre, in the city of Santiago de Cuba, observes the damage caused to her home after the passage of Hurricane Melissa, on October 29, 2025. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images)

RELATED: Rising From Ruin: Turning Caribbean Pain Into Power Following Hurricane Melissa